


Myths and Monsters

by Rhitta, TheTiredGeneticist



Category: Overwatch (Video Game)
Genre: Amelie can't handle, Amelie is so done, Amelie spoils Lena, Dragon!Tracer, F/F, Huntress!Widowmaker, Jack being an arse continues, Lena gets motion sickness, Lena is also grumpy, Lena is clingy, Lena pulling an emotional uno reverse card, Lena sucks at bluffing, Lena swears like a sailor, Lena the longcat dragon, M/M, NO I WILL NOT CHANGE MY TAGS., Only the best Kobe Beef for my dragon girlfriend., The Mythology AU that literally no one asked for, The beginning of a cautious friendship, middla aged grumpy farmers Jack and Gabe, reluctantly accepting help, starting to realize that your enemy may not be your enemy after all, very cold baths
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-08-12
Updated: 2019-10-21
Packaged: 2020-08-19 19:33:36
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 5
Words: 17,451
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20215090
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Rhitta/pseuds/Rhitta, https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheTiredGeneticist/pseuds/TheTiredGeneticist
Summary: Amélie Guillard, the greatest monster hunter of her time, is hired to kill a dragon that has been terrorizing a farmstead. The job doesn't go as planned, and Amélie learns that she may be just as much of a monster as the dragon she was paid to kill.A story about two enemies learning to understand each other and coexist, with a healthy amount of bickering and chin scratches.





	1. The Hunter Becomes the Nap Ruining Jerk

  
There were many hunters whose names were said with admiration and _awe_ when mentioned in a tavern or around a campfire, but there were few names that carried more weight than the name Amélie Guillard. She was the best of them, and for good reason. She had been hunting the world’s monsters since she was fifteen.

At first she hunted to avenge her family, killed by a rampaging dragon when she was ten and left it’s terrible marks on both her body and her soul. Once she had killed enough dragons to sate her bloodlust she realized that she was well suited to a career spent killing for money. She had never _needed_ money, never would considering the status of her late family, but money was a powerful motivator nevertheless. Which is why when the time came that slaying beasts became a popular career choice, and her source of gold and pleasure was threatened she didn’t think twice about finding a new and dangerous edge.

She was human once. She used to be a human who had trouble seeing at night, possessed limited physical strength and speed and for a short time, she was forced to seek out work rather than have it given to her. For a short time she was just one of many hunters of the same skill.

_Once_.

Amélie Guillard did not tolerate her life’s work being threatened. She turned to magic both legal and otherwise to give her an edge. Her vision was better than a hawk’s and her eyes glowed a eerie gold in the night. Her hearing was vastly improved and she could easily match three of the strongest hunters combined for physical prowess. She was the _best_ and always would be.

~

“Olivia your directions are shit.” Amélie mumbled as she squinted at the smudged, messily drawn map her informant had provided for her. It was hardly helpful having enhanced eyesight when the map was this bad. If she wasn’t familiar with the area she would have almost certainly gotten lost.

While she had made her name as a dragonslayer she had been getting less and less contracts for them as they slowly dwindled in number. While they were massive and dangerous animals their reproductive cycle was simply too slow to keep up with overhunting. She hadn’t had a good dragon hunt in almost a year, which made this contract all the more welcome.

“A large brown dragon terrorizing livestock.” She was skeptical that it was truly just a hungry dragon. The motivations of such creatures were often more than simple hunger.

Taking a look around, it was obvious that this was a simple farming town, no wealthy folk, just farmers who dealt more in trade than money. It was the last place she expected to find a dragon.

She firmly dug her heels into her horse’s sides, urging him into a lazy canter as she tried to match the messy scribble on the parchment to the farmstead that sent the summons.

“Finally.” She let out a soft huff of exasperation when she finally found the correct homestead and left her horse tied to the fence.

The owners of the farm were nice, if a bit startled by her appearance as all people were. The man who had requested her aid was clearly a man who had grown up a farmer. His hand was worn and _rough_ from a lifetime of working the fields when he shook hers. His once blonde hair was greying and he was sporting roughly three days worth of stubble. His partner was very clearly a soldier, with hardened muscle beneath dark skin and a severe expression that relaxed once she had introduced herself. He held himself proudly, even this early in the day, and his face and bare arms were crisscrossed with many scars. He was gruff but friendly, apologizing for his mostly silent husband.

"This dragon, it has been killing your livetock?" Amélie inquired as she carefully sipped some of the freshly brewed coffee that had been offered to her. The blonde, Jack, she reminded herself, fidgeted and looked over at his husband. That wasn't a good sign.

"Well...." He sighed, "not _exactly_."

His partner groaned dramatically and nudged him with an elbow, almost making him drop his mug. "Honestly, Jackie, we didn't need to call the mighty Huntress over this."

Jack gripped his mug tightly, his expression hardening.

"It's a _dragon_, Gabe. All dragons are evil and you know that. You've killed a few. They're vicious and if we leave it be it'll kill us eventually."

"Jack.... It hasn't don't _anything_. It sleeps in the field, sure, but it hasn't attacked any of the animals."

"I'm not willing to wait till it _does_! I want it dead." Jack said stiffly, resolutely.

"You've never seen a dragon burn a whole village before. I won't let it get that far."

Gabe set his mug down and sighed, looking at Amélie _apologetically_.

"Can't you just tell her to chase it away? It isn't hurting anyone and it isn't right to kill it if it hasn't hurt anyone."

"I'm not changing my mind. A hundred silver pieces for one dead dragon."

Amélie was used to much higher payoffs but she had allowed less fortunate people to offer lower rewards. And this was her first dragon in a while, after all.

"Jack..." Gabe didn't look happy at all, sighing and pushing himself up to head out.

Amélie didn't stay long enough to continue watching them fight, it was uncomfortable enough as it was seeing them fighting over their opinions. The sooner she got the job done, the sooner she could go home and sleep. The ride had been slow and she was sore from so many hours in the saddle.

~

She was used to spending hours or even _days_ tracking her prey, following it and planning her hunt as she closed in. She was used to a chase.

She was completely unprepared for what she found when she made her way to the barn nestled in the back of the farmstead, and the pastures beyond. As she rounded the side of the barn she had to throw herself back behind it with a _hiss_ of surprise and shock. The sunlight was warm and it glinted off the scales of the creature currently stretched out in the middle of the pasture.

Amélie had never encountered her prey so _quickly_.

The dragon was fairly small, to her disappointment, perhaps two feet tall at the shoulder and covered in amber and bronze scales. It was quadrupedal with a pair of leathery wings, currently spread out on the grass on either side of it. It's horns were only just big enough to signify maturity. It's body was longer than the average western dragon, but not as long as an eastern, and it had a tail that looked to be twice its body length at the very least, ending with darker brown rings that reminded the huntress vaguely of a raccoon.

Not the most glorious beast to take down but she had been hoping for a dragon. Here was a dragon. A very strange dragon. She watched one of the sheep walk right past it, clearly used to the larger animal's presence and showing no fear. It seemed that this wasn't the aggressive, dangerous creature she had been expecting.

Still, she was being paid.

She glanced up every few moments as she loaded her crossbow, and the dragon remained asleep. Enjoying the sun. At least it would die without realizing it was being hunted. The thought made her feel oddly _relieved_.

"_Allez voir votre créateur, monstre, et ne terrorisez plus ces gens_." She murmured as she took careful aim, still mostly concealed behind the barn. As the dragon slowly shifted, perhaps ready to wake up, she eased down on the trigger, then she _squeezed_.

The shot was nearly perfect. The _thunk_ of metal meeting flesh was followed by a _thud_ as the dragon flopped over with a soft _wheeze_ and went still.

It was almost disappointing. Amélie sighed and straightened up, feeling a bit discouraged. She had hoped to at least enjoy a good fight.

May as well go examine the body. Perhaps she could take a tooth or some scales back for Olivia to add to her collection.

The gate creaked as she pushed it open, and she latched it firmly behind her to keep the sheep from escaping, though they seemed more distressed over the dragon's body now.

"Shoo, move away." She muttered as she tried her best to usher the flock away from the body, herding them away before she approached the body herself. It hadn't taken much to drop it, but it _was_ small.

Amélie sighed and knelt, ignoring her disappointment. The arrow was deeply embedded just under it's left wing. Odd. It had looked like she had made a perfect heart shot when she pulled the trigger. Apparently she hadn't hit anything vital.

...which made her recognize another problem.

She bit back a curse as she glanced down and found a pair of bright and _very_ angry eyes glaring back at her.

"_Mérde_-!" Amélie grunted as the dragon surged up, apparently having been playing dead, and rammed it's head into her chest, knocking her back and winding her. And while she coughed and gasped, the dragon began to _grow_.

Amélie had seen dragons grow and shrink before, but she had never seen a dragon remain so small willingly. It had successfully pulled her into a sense of security and now she was very clearly seeing her mistake.

As she slowly pushed herself up the dragon, now at least _eight_ feet at the shoulder, shorted and snarled and tore at the ground angrily, the arrow clearly causing it little pain in its rage. But it did not charge. Oddly enough, it didn't take the opportunity it had while the huntress was down.

It was a _mistake_.

While the dragon appeared to be, somehow, waiting for an explanation or perhaps an apology, Amélie had grabbed her knife. The dragon bared its teeth in warning, again proving itself to be the most unusual dragon she had ever fought, not that she listened. Her excitement at facing a dragon had come back full force and she snarled right back, baring teeth and startling the creature enough to lunge forward, driving the knife into its breast.

The dragon bellowed in pain, stumbling back and swatting the huntress aside when she tried to retrieve the blade. Today was evidently a day for novice mistakes. She _growled_ and pushed herself up, drawing her sword from its sheathe to do proper battle.

"Come then, dragon." She growled defiantly.

She had expected it to hesitate. It had, after all, given her a chance to back off not once but twice. Why wouldn't it give her another chance?

It did not. Amélie wasn't completely prepared when the dragon _barrelled_ forward, it's face distorted in _rage_.

"_TOSSER! WHAT THE BLOODY HELL IS WRONG WITH YOU!?_"

Amélie flinched at the angry barrage of yelling both vocal and mental as the dragon voiced its displeasure. Dragons were a magical creatures, powerful ones, so she had gotten used to them trying to attack her mind. She had been more prepared for a "_DIE HUMAN_" or a "_HOW DARE YOU ATTACK ME_". she hadn't expected a very feminine voice with a very distinct cockney accent yelling at her like she had just spilled her drink.

The dragon didn't give her time to think that one over. It appeared that it was finished giving her chances. It's first few swipes were easy enough to evade for the nimble huntress, and she managed to land a few more shots and slashes that made it stumble with a cry of pain.

"_WHAT THE HELL YOU STABBIN' ME FOR YA WANKER!? SOD OFF!!!_"

"So rude, all because you cannot hit me? How _immature_." Amélie taunted back, as she made an attempt to bury her blade in its throat.

"_CAN'T HIT YOU CAN I!?_"

The dragon twisted sinuously, avoiding the lethal strike and rearing back, before it dove forward and snapped its maw shut on the huntress' extended arm, teeth easily _digging_ into flesh and muscle.

"_WELL I GOT YOU NOW._"

Amélie felt her feet leave the ground as the dragon easily lifted her, pausing for only a moment to glare at her before it _threw_ her into the side of the barn like a sack of flour. The old wood only barely held, and the huntress groaned, slowly pushing herself up. Her crossbow was on the ground and out of reach, her sword was stuck in the ground in a similar position. Her knife was still embedded in the dragon's chest, and as she watched the creature raised one clawed hand and pulled it out, tossing it to one side.

"_YOU TRIED TO KILL ME! FOR WHAT!? MONEY!?_" The voice in her head was _angry_, but it was also so much more human and somehow _emotional_ and intelligent than Amélie believed it could be. It didn't seem to see her as an enemy _until_ she stabbed it. It seemed unable to comprehend that someone would attack it without personal provocation. It was almost _innocent_ and the thought made her all kinds of unsettled.

"Why else would I risk my life, beast? You're the first dragon I've been assigned in a year, and the money your tattered corpse will bring in is worth the effort."

That was, in hindsight, the _wrong_ answer, and only succeeded in angering the dragon further.

She should have killed it quickly.

"_YOU'RE A MONSTER!_"

If the dragon could cry, the sound of its voice betrayed that it would have been. It shook its head, seemingly in _disbelief_, before it let out a bellow and charged at the huntress, fully intending to _crush_ her against the side of the barn.

"_MONSTERS LIKE YOU DON'T DESERVE TO LIVE!!!_"

The voice in her head was so _loud_ and so full of _emotion_ that it was _dizzying_, and Amélie was almost too slow. It took more effort than she would ever admit to throw herself out of the way as the dragon crashed into the side of the barn, the old wood buckling as the dragon barrelled through. The crash that followed after, and the _thud_, announced that the other side of the barn had not given way so easily.

"Defeated by your own emotions, how pathetic." The huntress coughed as she slowly pushed herself up, ignoring the flash of light that was undoubtedly the dragon shrinking again as she grabbed her sword and trudged back to the barn, tired and battered and just wanting to finish the job. She enjoyed hunting dragons. She loved fighting them. She did _not_ enjoy being beaten and she liked having her motives _questioned_ even less.

"Your opinion matters little to me, dragon. Now die quietly."

The dust kicked up from the dragon's entrance mostly obscured the creature but Amélie could make out the long tail, and she could hear the soft _wheezing_ as the dragon breathed, followed by a few shallow, _wet_ sounding coughs.

"You're lucky that I don't enjoy drawing out my kills." She growled as the dust began to clear.

"_Liar_." Came the feeble reply, not in her head this time.

"You like killing us so much that you've wiped us out. You kill families and tribes and children and you do it for _gold_? You see no value in life. _You're_ the monster, not me."

It was unsettling having her lifestyle and her career challenged and _rebuked_, and by a dragon no less. Most dragons went down defiant and proud, this one certainly was to a degree, but there was also a _conviction_ that shook Amélie to her core. The dragon knew it was right, and it knew that it had the moral high ground, even as Amélie was about to end its life.

"Enjoy the sack of coins my carcass gets you, huntress. You can use it to buy yourself an actual _heart_. Hope it was worth killing one of the last dragons."

The beast fell silent, save for the pained wheezing. It was _resigned_, it seemed. It had accepted that it was going to die.

Amélie, though, felt like she was being torn in two. The last time she had received a verbal lashing of this intensity was when she was six and had accidentally broken her father's glasses. To be so _thoroughly_ picked apart and criticized, called a monster by the very monster she was about to kill, gave her pause, and a thought that had never occurred to her before.

While humans saw dragons and other magical beasts as horrible monsters, no thought had been given to what the monsters themselves thought when they beheld a human. They came to fear humans, perhaps to them, it was man that was the monster, the killer of entire families, and they did it for coin, fame, or just for the _thrill_ of it. It wasn't an incorrect label to give someone like her. A _monster_.

She shook herself out of her thoughts as the dragon let out a groan and slowly began to push itself up, bracing itself against the wall as it stood.

But it was not a dragon, or at least it was no longer in its true form.

The wings remained, and the horns and claws and the scales that still dotted one side of its face were all too draconian, but it was now in the form of a young woman. A very _naked_ young woman.

"Well? Finish what you started then."

She was almost a whole head shorter than the huntress, with wild brown spiky hair that was tangled and streaked with blood from their fight. One horn was broken, and her wings were dragging on the ground _listlessly_ as though it took too much effort to raise them. Her eyes were big and round and looked to be brown. Her face was _soft_ and there was a cut above her right eye.

Amélie couldn't do this. The dragon had somehow found a chink in her emotional barriers and had pummelled them thoroughly, to the point where she felt _sick_. Killing her wouldn't just prove that the dragon was right, Amélie was certain that it would make her _sick_.

"...leave. Get out of here and never return." Amélie's voice _trembled_ with emotion as she glared at the ground, willing herself to step back and give the dragon room to leave.

The dragon didn't speak. She listened to the shuffling footsteps as the dragon _painfully_ hobbled back out the hole she had made, dragging her wings along the ground behind her. She limped across the pasture, very slowly hauled herself over the fence, and stumbled off into the woods, the thick trees swallowing her up.

Amélie didn't accept the payment. The couple seemed confused but they didn't insist, especially once she explained that she hadn't technically done the job despite having the broken horn to suggest otherwise. At least not yet. She needed to take a day or two to lick her wounds, both physical and emotional, before she could think about hunting the wounded beast down.

She politely turned down the offer to stay for a drink, as much as she wanted to, instead hauling herself onto her horse and spending the next hour trying to stay awake as she navigated the country roads. She stopped at the first town she found, at the first inn she found, and she purchased a room for the night, payed entirely too much for it, and flopped face down onto the bed the moment she got inside.

Amélie was a huntress, the _best_ there was, but tonight she was tired and wounded, and above all, she was _guilty_. It was gnawing at her like a rabid dog, _biting_ away at her as she tiredly pulled the pillow under her head.

_You see no value in life. You're the monster, not me._

It hurt to realize that the dragon was _right_.


	2. When the Pretty Hunter Calls Your Bluff

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Amélie feels the effects of her brawl with the dragon, and makes an attempt to fix the damage she has dealt. The dragon is less than grateful.

  
Amélie slept in for the first time in years. Every time she started to wake up her body let her know very harshly that she had fought a dragon and _lost_, and that she wouldn’t be getting up until her body said so.

Her body decided to sleep until noon. When she did finally drag herself out of bed and into new clothes, she felt like an elderly woman for all her bruises and stiff joints.

If she hadn’t felt so guilty for leaving that dragon out there wounded she would still be in bed, but she had, and she needed to rectify the situation.

She couldn’t just kill it now. She needed to do something different. Jobs were hardly ever this complicated. She went in, killed whatever beast was causing trouble, got paid, then went home to drink expensive wine with her few friends. This demanded a new solution.

Perhaps she could relocate the dragon, provided it allowed her to approach in the first place. Which it probably wouldn’t. If it were still in it’s semi-human form a good knock on the head might subdue it long enough to tie it up, drag it onto her horse and move it somewhere with less people. Again, it would only work if the dragon let her get close.

Any kind of relocation idea depended on a certain amount of trust which, after yesterday, was not very likely. Shooting, stabbing, and taunting something didn’t exactly _encourage_ it to trust you.

The huntress sat down on the bed and groaned into her hands, thoroughly finished with the cacophony of loud internal voices in her head trying to convince her to try different solutions. She scooped up her jacket from the floor and thumbed the material, frowning at the impressive rip at the shoulder. Another coat ruined.

She could at least discover where the dragon had gone, see where it was hiding. That was a start. Maybe she could offer it some food, an olive branch of sorts. Assuming it didn’t decide to eat _her_ which, honestly, was understandable.

_You’re the monster, not me._

Well, it was time for the monster to beg for forgiveness.

Amélie slowly pushed herself up and checked around for anything she may have dropped, before she packed away her discarded clothes and made her way out.

~

One good thing about small towns was that they had the _best_ markets. There was no crowd and the shopkeepers were friendly and with the amount she was willing to pay they were more than happy to provide the best service.

Her purse was considerably lighter once she left, but she was satisfied with the service and the quality of her purchases so she didn’t mind spending extra coin.

Wether the dragon would appreciate her peace offering was the only thing in question.

It had seemed shockingly capable of emotion and that was the main thing that threw Amélie off. It had sounded close to tears from frustration at being attacked for nothing more than a bag of coins. It would have likely been even more distraught if it knew that is wasn’t even worth a single gold coin.

Perhaps it would be more agreeable with some food in its stomach. Amélie normally didn’t think twice about what dragons ate but today she had stopped herself from purchasing mutton, to avoid adding insult to injury, and had settled for beef instead. Beef was a safe choice. Everyone liked steak.

She took a different route today, avoiding the farmstead and any awkward encounters she may have with the people she had failed to kill a dragon for, and instead followed a less known back woods path that wound up towards the mountains that surrounded the small town. The dragon hadn’t exactly hidden it’s tracks. It was like following a bull, a very grumpy bull who seemed to hate trees. After coaxing her horse up a rocky slope, through a copse of birch trees where the dragon had evidently had a tantrum and flattened the majority of the saplings, and carefully navigating a very old patch of forest, she herd huffing mixed in with a whole lot of less than polite words from just up ahead.

She had found her dragon. And it was _definitely_ in a foul mood.

Amélie swiftly backtracked and tied her horse safely away from the potentially violent beast, pulling a few of the saddlebags off to carry herself. She didn’t tie the horse too tightly, making sure that it would be able to eventually pull free in the event that she didn’t return. It was always good to be prepared and Olivia would have killed her for dying and as a result letting her mount starve.

Well, may as well get it over with. She sighed and left her horse to climb back up to where the dragon was no doubt fuming and licking its wounds, feeling both embarrassed and for some reason rather eager to see if the creature would be civil with her again. She had left her crossbow strapped to her horse’s saddle as a sign of goodwill, hopefully it wouldn’t go unnoticed.

“_Buggering_.... bloody _barbed_ arrowheads.... sodding hell.” Amélie quickly found a place to hide and watch, settling into a patch of thick brush to peer out at the small clearing in front of her.

The grass was flattened by the dragon’s stomping, but it seemed to be too tired to continue its campaign of destruction now. There was a small building in the middle of the clearing, little more than a shack that looked old and weathered but seemed structurally sound. Amélie could see the long tail of the injured dragon spilling out of the doorway, occasionally twitching or flicking to keep the flies away. The shed was dark inside and Amélie could only just make out the form of the dragon, evidently still human, _slumped_ inside, apparently resting.

It didn’t look good. It looked _exhausted_. And if it was complaining about the arrows it clearly had failed to remove them or pushed them _deeper_ in, which only made the huntress’ job harder.

There was no reason to keep hiding, if the dragon was in such a vulnerable state.

She was surprised that the dragon hadn’t heard her approach not once but _twice_, but it definitely heard her very purposely step on a twig as she straightened up.

“_BLOODY HELL!!!_” It shrieked as it attempted to sit up and failed spectacularly, letting out a string of curses as it struggled to face the huntress or at least defend itself.

“Relax. I mean no harm.” Amélie would have raised her hands to make her point if she wasn’t holding several bags of food, water and medical supplies, all of which she preferred not to simply drop.

“Like _hell_ you don’t! Get the bloody hell out of here and leave me alone!!!” The dragon snapped in reply, still trying to get up and fight her off. Amélie could see it... _her_ now that she was closer, and she could see that her struggling was only making things worse.

“You’re _bleeding_, stop moving and let me explain.” She tried again, choosing the sympathy route this time.

“I’ll lie still when you’re _gone_! Get out of here!”

Amélie sighed heavily and wished she had a free hand to pinch the bridge of her nose. “Are you so stubborn that you will not accept help when it is offered?”

“Are you so _stupid_ that you think I’ll fall for that!? _SOD OFF!!”_ The dragon fired back and she tried to _swat_ the woman with her tail, again failing spectacularly.

_This was going wonderfully._

If the gentle approach and the sympathetic approach failed that left her with using _force_, and she was not looking forward to it.

“Leave me alone ya wanker! Go aw-_AUGH_!” The dragon managed to sit up halfway and tried again to lash out with her tail, but Amélie was still far enough to be out of reach. The attempt only threw the dragon off balance, making her fall over with a cry of _pain_.

Amélie sighed again and shifted her bags to one arm, taking a few steps closer.

“If you’d stop swearing and let me help you-“

“_SOD OFF!!!_” The yell was followed by a round of coughing, as the dragon stirred up dust and promptly _inhaled_ it.

“Alright, the hard way then.”

Amélie gave no further warning before she dropped two of the bags to lighten her load and then promptly darted forward, vaulting over the attempted tail swipe and landing on top of the flailing dragon.

“_OI WHAT’RE YOU-?_” The dragon’s cry cut off sharply as Amélie slapped her free hand over her mouth, straddling her hips to keep her from getting up. The dragon let out a muffled _whimper_, looking very much _afraid_ now that her bluff had been called. Amélie leaned down until their nose were almost touching, her face set in a deadly serious glare that the dragon couldn’t meet, looking down and to the side pitifully.

“Listen to me, you stubborn little _shit_. I am here to help you because I feel _bad_. I am not here to shoot, stab, or otherwise harm you. If you stay still it will make my job easier, and I won’t have to _tie you up_. You have two choices. You can keep struggling and I will knock you over the head, then pull the arrows out, or you can lie still, shut up, and let me pull them out and bandage your wounds. Then I will give you some food and leave.” The dragon’s expression was a mixture of shock and terror now, downcast eyes full of _tears_ as she took the verbal lashing in silence.

“I will release you now, and you can choose how I go about fixing the damage I did yesterday.”

When Amélie released her and sat back, the dragon was still for a moment, before letting out a soft _whimper_ and slowly rolling onto her side, eyes still turned away in submission. At least she _hoped_ it was submission.

“Good girl. Now sit still.”

Amélie pushed herself up, grimacing as her still aching joints protested, and she retrieved the water skin and bag of food she had dropped before setting them down near the dragon and kneeling to check how much worse the dragon had made her injuries.

All of the arrows were snapped, no doubt from the dragon crashing through the thick forest and trying multiple times to pull them out. One had been removed, somehow, but the damage was worse now that it had. The floor of the cabin was stained with dried blood.

_Did she live here?_

Amélie sighed and got comfortable, opening one of the bags and pulling out a small bowl and a bottle that she uncorked with a soft pop. The dragon made a soft huffing noise, probably in response to the smell of herbs that now began to fill the shed.

“It is a simple ointment, it will prevent infection.” Amélie explained curtly, as she poured roughly half of the mixture into the bowl and set it aside, pulling out a roll of clean white bandages that she neatly separated into two piles, one of which she left to soak in the bowl.

“This will hurt. Would you like something to bite down on?”

Amélie may be frustrated and annoyed with the dragon but she was not beyond offering such a simple kindness. The dragon shifted slightly, then nodded, still looking at the back wall of the shed. Amélie pulled out a strip of leather from the bag and set it next to the dragon’s head, giving her time to take it and brace herself before she warned, “I will try to make it quick. If you pass out I will do my best to finish before you wake up.”

There was a soft _sniffle_, then another nod.

Amélie quickly decided that she would never be buying barbed arrowheads again. The amount of _screaming_ that shook the cabin when she pulled the first arrowhead out was deafening, and painful to listen to. The moment the arrow began to pull free the dragon started _sobbing_ and _crying_ around the leather in her mouth, her muffled pleas for Amélie to stop quickly becoming wordless shrieks of pain as Amélie moved quickly on to the next one.

She couldn’t risk taking a break and giving her time to regret cooperating. As bad as it made the huntress feel it was better to inflict great suffering for a short amount of time rather than dealing it out in parts, each time letting the dragon dread the next pull.

“It’s almost over. I’m almost done, you’re doing so well _chérie_...” she began to thoughtlessly croon to the dragon about halfway through, trying to do something to make the process less agonizing. She wasn’t even sure if the dragon _heard_ her over her own sobbing.

When she had to briefly pause to wipe her hands, her fingers were bloody from the now open wounds and her grip was beginning to slip, the dragon began to softly _plead_ with her in a small, _heartbreaking_ voice.

“Please stop.... _please stop hurting me...._”

Amélie would have relented if she hadn’t expected such begging.

“Just three more. I promise, then I can let you rest.” She murmured, feeling the dragon _shuddering_ under her hands.

The next arrow proved to be too much. The dragon let out a sharp _keening_ sound as it left her side, then she seemed to deflate, her head dropping to the floor with a _thump_ as she finally passed out.

“I’m sorry little one....”   
  
The last two arrows, luckily, came out with little fuss, and Amélie could focus on cleaning and bandaging. The dragon would need a proper bath as soon as possible, but for now Amélie simply cleaned the wounds and the skin nearest them.

She splashed some more water on her hands and she carefully rolled the unconscious dragon onto her back, setting the bowl of ointment next to her as she got to work. The sun had long set now, and she could hear the crickets outside as she carefully wrapped the treated bandages around the wounds. Her shots had been well placed but nonfatal, something she was both relieved about and _guilty_ over in equal portions. The worst of them were two particularly nasty shots where the arrows actually made it _between_ her ribs and stuck there, one of which the dragon had yanked out. The others were not as well placed but still painful, dotting one shoulder and her side. All in all, _seven_ arrows, and an unbelievable amount of guilt.

Once her arrow wounds were wrapped Amélie covered the treated bandages with the second pile of clean, dry ones, sealing the wounds away to let them heal. The stab wound, which she _winced_ at the sight of, was just as difficult to treat. It was deep and if Amélie had the ability to suture it she would have.

_Perhaps I can get something in town...._

She was only torn for a moment, rising and striding back to where her horse was waiting. It would take only about an hour to fetch what she needed and return, and she was certain that the dragon would not wake in that time. Even if she did there was little chance of her moving.

“I will return soon.” She said, more to herself, and she untied her horse, pulling herself onto the saddle.

~

“Thank you for letting me in, and I’m sorry for keeping you.” Amélie apologized as she left the store, smiling gently at the elderly owners as they waved at her through the glass. The only shop in town that was still open turned out to have exactly what she needed. She had her suturing kit and a few things she hadn’t thought to bring, flint for starting a campfire, two bedrolls, and a thick blanket to cover the shed door. She could cook some of the food she had brought and leave the rest for the dragon. Thank god for enchanted bags, because she barely ever remembered she had food on her until it spoiled.

She had everything she needed to finish treating the dragon’s injuries. Then she could eventually relocate her. The only question was where. It was hard to find a place without humans these days.

_Perhaps near the chateau....._

She owned land. A lot of land. She lived far from people and the only ones living there were herself and Olivia.

_It could work...._

She secured her horse at the base of the hill and began the climb in complete darkness, her eyesight a godsend especially now.   
  
She was even more grateful when she spotted something on the path ahead that should not have been there.

“_Mérde_, how did you get out here!?” She muttered as she knelt.

Apparently the dragon had indeed woken up and made it out of the shed. She hadn’t gotten far, thankfully, tripping over a raised foot and collapsing into a pile of fallen leaves, and she hadn’t managed to damage or soil the bandages.

“Come here...” Amélie murmured as she gently rolled the exhausted dragon over, gathering her into her arms and carefully lifting her. She didn’t even stir.

“Trying to follow me, foolish girl...”

She was surprisingly light for a dragon, even in human form. Her wings were more troublesome than her weight, snagging on every bush and fine they passed until Amélie finally reached the clearing.

The shed wasn’t so bad. It was dry and once Amélie had placed the blanket over the entrance as a makeshift door, it was _warm_. It made sense that the dragon used it as a sort of den, it was hidden and comfortable.

Amélie let the injured dragon lean on her for just a moment, unpacking one of the bedrolls and spreading it out on the old wood floor. It was better quality than she usually had, more padded and comfortable. The shed was big enough for two of them, at least. Even if the dragon spread herself out there would be enough room.

“_Mmmf_...”

A muffled groan made the huntress pause, as the dragon twitched, then relaxed again with a soft mumble. She was actually rather _cute_, now that she wasn’t trying to kill her.

She was also, to Amélie’s exasperation, very clingy, at least when she was asleep. When Amélie attempted to lay her on the bedroll she groaned and huffed and wrapped her uninjured arm arm around Amélie’s waist, sharp nails digging into the fabric of her shirt as she whined against her neck.

“Must you be such an annoyance?” The huntress sighed, making one last attempt to pry the dragon off of her before she gave up, sagging back against the wall with a sigh.

A few minutes later she was lying on her back on the bedroll with the dragon still wrapped around her like a snake, looking up at the ceiling and trying to ignore the little huffs against her neck. She was very uncomfortable. She hated being touched, but she already felt terrible about what happened, and she knew she would only feel worse if she woke the dragon up.

There were, she supposed, worse ways to spend a night. She wouldn’t be sleeping, but at least she was warm and dry, and she had bound her victim’s wounds well enough. It was a start.

She felt tired, but her instincts kept her awake to listen to the soft breaths of the dragon beside her, the crickets outside, and the wind softly rustling the trees around them. It was peaceful. More peaceful than many of the places she had been recently.

_Perhaps this wasn’t so bad. _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I can't believe it but by golly the second chapter is already done! 
> 
> Thanks to Rhitta for tirelessly brainstorming with me, you honestly have the best ideas!
> 
> Kudos are awesome, but comments make me warm and fuzzy inside! Let me know how I did! Let me know what I could improve on!


	3. Slow Going

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Amélie continues trying to help, and the dragon is less than grateful.

  
When the sun came up and light began to filter through the dusty window, Amélie finally managed to pry the girl off of her. It was much easier to replace her own body heat with the sunlight, letting her leave the dragon to curl up on the bedroll while she stretched and made her way outside.

She was met by her horse, who had managed to free itself from the tree it was tied to and amble up the hill to find its owner. It snorted gently as she made her way over, pushing its head into her chest.

“You followed me all that way, Cauchemar? Silly boy, did you come to protect me from the dragon?” She cooed softly, giving his chin a scratch. The black and white mottled horse snorted again and began to sniff at her pockets for treats.

“Greedy, aren’t you... nothing today I’m afraid, but I’m sure Olivia will spoil you more than enough when we get home.”

The horse looked at her silently in response, before it huffed and stepped back, turning to start nosing at the grass around the cabin.

Amélie stretched, rolling her shoulders a few times to work the residual stiffness from the last few days out of her muscles. If things had gone to plan she would have been home by now, and most likely submerged in a hot bath with a glass of wine. Instead, she was camping out in a dusty shed in the middle of a mountain forest with a _very_ grumpy injured dragon for company.

Surprisingly, it wasn’t the worst trade off. The silence of the chateau was sometimes _maddening_, and Amélie found that she enjoyed the sound of birdsong and the wind as it whispered through the trees. The sunlight was warm and helped ease off her soreness just as well as any warm bath, just more slowly. The smells of early summer were everywhere here, grass, flowers, and the smell of moss and damp were all there. It was the most peaceful place she had been in by far.

There was a small fire pit a few yards from the shed, where the grass was replaced by a sandy patch that was just big enough for several people to huddle around the circle of stones and not brush elbows. It looked to have been left unused for many years.

It didn’t take too long to clear the area of debris, gather some kindling and get a small fire started. Her horse shied away at the first smell of smoke and moved to the far side of the clearing, resuming grazing with his backside to her in protest.

Amélie checked her bags for anything that was unspoiled, something she could cook for herself.

“Of course I didn’t use the enchanted bags for my own food.” She muttered in exasperation when she found what looked like yesterday’s lunch but was clearly no longer edible. Olivia’s cooking was pretty good, at least it was when Amélie remembered she had it with her before it spoiled. It looked like she was going to have to hunt for her breakfast.

Luckily for her, the animals in the area weren’t used to being hunted, and it only took her half of an hour to find, shoot, and prepare herself something. The rabbits were very fat this time of year.

She splashed the remaining water from her canteen over her hands to wash the blood off, before she sat down and sighed, settling in to wait for her meal to cook.

She hadn’t been out in nature like this for a long time. She only ever ventured out for work and when one was chasing down a werewolf or tracking a vampire it was often difficult to appreciate how _beautiful_ nature could be. Amélie leaned back on her hands and inhaled deeply, letting her head tip back as she closed her eyes. It felt nice to be out and about, just existing instead of having to focus on her work.

A soft rustle made her raise her head, turning towards the shed. The dragon was awake and, from the sound of mumbled curses she was less than happy. Amélie turned her attention back to the fire, willing her body to relax. The dragon wasn’t a threat in her condition and even if she managed to sneak up on her she was too weak to cause any real damage. From their earlier fight it was obvious that she probably couldn’t even breathe fire.

The blanket over the doorway rustled and Amélie could hear the grass parting behind her, then silence as the dragon made its way out of the shed and froze upon spotting her.

She heard a soft, throaty growl that held no real threat, then more rustling, then a thump.

When she turned to check the dragon was lying a few yards away, having apparently been trying to circle around her but finding the exertion too much for her wounded body.

“Sleep well?”

“Sod off.”

Amélie couldn’t help but smirk.

“Back to this again? I saved your life.”

The dragon _snorted_ and raised its head just enough to glare at the huntress over the grass. Her eyes were brown. If looks could kill Amélie would have been a pile of glowing ash.

“You’re also the one who bloody _shot_ me, in case you forgot.” The dragon snapped back, before she let her head drop to the ground again and she rolled over to face away from Amélie.

“And I am trying to atone for that. If you wish to be left alone I will do so, after you have healed and I have moved you to a safer place.” Amélie turned back to the fire. If she wanted to ignore Amélie then Amélie would ignore her as well.

“If you remain here the farmer will simply hire others who will not sympathize with you like I did. They will kill you.”

The dragon didn’t reply other than a very telling _lash_ of her tail that kicked up some dirt and grass. She didn’t have an answer. Amélie turned back to the fire and turned the pieces of rabbit meat over on the small wire frame she had brought, internally rejoicing that she had prepared for a possibly long outing.

“Do you want the food I bought for you? I’m sure you’re hungry.”

“M’not hungry piss off.” Came the grumbled reply as the dragon stretched one wing out and rolled onto her back, spreading herself out like a sunbathing cat.

She was hungry. There was _no_ way she wasn’t after two days. If she was simply being stubborn then all the huntress had to do was wait.

She casually leaned back again, listening to the crackle and pop of the rabbit meat on the grill.

“I got very expensive kobe beef for you and you turn your nose up? Very well, I will have it for my evening meal. You can hunt.”

The dragon’s stretching stilled _instantly_ at the mention of the meat, and Amélie smirked. The bait was set. She had no doubt that the dragon would crumble sooner rather than later.

She turned the meat over again, reaching into one of the many pouches she carried with her to grab a pinch of salt. She lightly sprinkled it over the rabbit meat and leaned back again.

A glance back confirmed her assumption. The dragon looked extremely _uncomfortable_ now, both hands on her stomach as she pressed her fingers into the soft muscle there as if to try and muffle any traitorous grumbles.

Amélie lifted her breakfast off of the fire and onto a small wooden plate, sitting cross legged to enjoy the first food she herself had had in a few days.

_Silence_.

The dragon almost looked _nauseous_. Amélie was about to toss the bag at her out of pity when she finally spoke up in a small voice.

“Ok, I lied. May I have some please?”

It was so small and so pitiful and so.... _cute_. Amélie didn’t hesitate to offer her the bag and she took it with a tiny mumble that may have been a thank you but Amélie didn’t care. As long as she ate something she was satisfied.

Amélie had been generous enough to cut the slab of red meat into pieces, something the dragon seemed greatly relieved about. She delicately plucked one of the pieces out of the drawstring bag, and Amélie noticed that she had _two_ sets of sharp canines, but the rest of her teeth appeared to be human. She ate quietly, another surprise considering how famished she had to be, glancing up every so often as though she didn’t trust Amélie not to stab her in the back.

When she finished she sank back onto the ground with a groan, absentmindedly cleaning her fingertips with a forked tongue like a cat. She liked it then. _Good_. It was a good thing, especially when Amélie may or may not have added just a bit of salt to add flavour.

“I assume the meal was satisfactory?”

“...This doesn’t mean I like you.”

It was probably the best answer she would get.

“There is a stream close by. I would like to get you clean as soon as possible. Can you walk, or should I get you to ride my horse?”

The dragon huffed, slowly sitting up. Her bandages were starting to bleed through, and Amélie would have to change them again soon.

“...horses don’t like me.” The dragon mumbled, picking at the bandages absentmindedly. She had to be itching.

“Let’s see if mine will tolerate you.”

She got up and put her utensils away, striding to where her horse was grazing on the other side of the clearing.

“Come Cauchemar, lets go meet our new friend.” She murmured as she took the reins and led the dappled horse back to the fire. His ears went back and he snorted loudly when he got close enough to smell the dragon, shying away.

“See? Told you.”

Amélie frowned. There had to be some way..... if she could somehow associate her own scent with the dragon she may just get her horse to cooperate.

“Hold on.” She let go of the reins for a moment, moving to grab her bag that she put her clothes in. Her jacket would work. It smelled like her and the dragon.

“Here, hold this.” She grabbed her horse again as she dropped the coat into the dragon’s arms.

“He might be more agreeable if you have something that smells like me.”

The dragon blinked down at the material in her arms. Amélie gently urged the horse closer, let it sniff the dragon before she offered her hand to help her up.

“He should tolerate you now.”

The dragon hesitated, looking at the offered hand with suspicion.

“Would you rather sleep tonight with all that dried blood on you?”

The dragon pouted. She actually _pouted_, before she sighed and carefully slipped her hand into Amélie’s.

_Her hands are very small..._

Amélie carefully pulled her to her feet, trying not to aggravate her wounds. The dragon kept her eyes down, refusing to look at her.

“Up you go.” The huntress helped the dragon chamber onto the back of her horse, showing her where to hold on so she wouldn’t fall off.

“It’s a short walk, so you won’t be on him for very long.”

The dragon didn’t reply. She already looked like she was motion sick.

“You can fly, but riding a horse makes you sick?”

The dragon gripped the saddle for dear life as Amélie began to lead the horse towards the footpath, grimacing.

“S’not the same.... feels _wrong_....”

Amélie was relieved to get to the stream. The dragon was starting to look like she was going to throw up.

“Here.” She murmured as she helped her off of the horse’s back, letting Cauchemar trot away to go drink.

“I need to remove the bandages before you clean yourself up. Sit down.”

The dragon slowly sat and fidgeted as Amélie sat next to her, starting to gently unravel the bandages around her arm.

“Don’t dragons heal faster than humans? These still look fresh.” Amélie mumbled, feeling the dragon tense next to her.

“I don’t know...”

Amélie pulled the last of the bandages free and set them aside. She could burn them later.

“There. If you need help just ask. I’ll be here.”

Amélie sat down a few yards away and leaned back against one of the trees, sighing. The dragon slowly settled into the water, _hissing_ to herself.

“Bloody hell, this is fucking _cold_!”

“It’s a natural stream. Once you’re done you can warm up by the fire.”

The dragon grumbled and sank to her knees, the water rising to her lower stomach. She was shivering, as she began to gingerly cup water in her hands and splash it on her skin. She clearly didn’t dare try to rub the blood off. It would take a while to do it the way she was doing it.

Amélie folded her arms over her chest and sighed, turning her head to watch Cauchemar nibbling on some tall grass nearby.

The sound of the water was soothing and it was somewhat difficult to stay awake now. She let her eyes drop shut for a bit, listening to the dragon mumbling and splashing.

She needed to get out more. Maybe she could take a break and make time to read in the garden, or set up a hammock in the apple trees nearby. She could take the time to enjoy life for a few days or perhaps even a few weeks. Stop and smell the flowers.

Olivia had been trying to convince her to take a break, enjoy life for once, not counting expensive wine and a good book.

From what she remembered of her mother, she loved gardening. Perhaps she could try her hand at it and spend time _tending_ to living things instead of killing them.

“...I’m done.”

Amélie looked up to see the dragon had turned to face her and was shivering heavily. Amélie pushed herself up and made her way over, taking the hand the dragon meekly offered and pulling her up. For a moment, after being pulled up, the dragon _sagged_ against her, her legs giving out. Her wounds were bleeding again but she was so cold that it was slower than before.

“Don’t put me back on the horse. _Please_.”

The dragon’s pleading was all it took to convince Amélie. She whistled to Cauchemar and she fetched her jacket, using it to cover the dragon as best she could before picking her up. She made a soft noise and gripped the front of Amelie’s shirt, whimpering.

“I’ll redress your wounds when we get back. I can hunt for something to feed us this evening as well.” Amélie murmured as she slowly carried the dragon back up the path, her horse following quietly behind. The dragon was looking up at her with half closed eyes. She had to be freezing. All dragon’s lived in warm climates for a reason. The dragon looked bleary and half asleep, her eyes foggy and not quite seeing. She had to be _exhausted_ on top of being so cold, otherwise she wouldn’t be looking at the huntress.

“Here, get warmed up.” Amélie laid her next to the fire and draped her coat over her, grabbing a few more logs to coax the fire to a better size.

“I’ll replace your bandages and then I’ll leave you alone.”

No reply. Amélie sat down and gently rewrapped the dragon’s injuries. No ointment this time, to let them heal a bit better. The ointment was strong, and now that the dragon had bathed there was less risk of infection.

“Sleep for now, and I’ll go get some food this evening.”

The dragon’s eyes only barely opened and she mumbled, tucking one arm under her head and pulling her tail close to her body like a comfort blanket. She was still shivering but she would start to warm up soon. Amélie sat a few feet away and began to go through her bags. She still had one fresh set of clothes, and she could refill her canteen back at the stream while she was out hunting. She had her spare quiver, and she had her extra knife to replace the one the dragon had broken. She didn’t like being on her last set of tools but it would suffice until she made it home.

When the dragon let out a _sneeze_, shivering and huddling into herself, Amélie got the blanket she had hung over the shed door and carefully draped it over her, feeling her tense and hearing her growl softly.

“Hush. The less energy you waste hissing at me means more energy to heal.”

That got her a louder rumble as the dragon shied away from her touch.

The dragon didn’t want her there, at least not at the moment. May as well go hunting.

“Very well, I will leave you be for now. I’ll be back in a few hours, try not to burn anything while I am gone, _oui_?”

No response.

Amélie left her horse to graze and set off up the hillside with her crossbow. Hopefully the dragon would be more agreeable when she got back. Returning with food would almost definitely help things. The way to a dragon’s heart may be gold and jewels, but the way to its _friendship_ and _trust_ was mostly food.

~

The sun was setting by the time Amélie returned, dropping the boar she had brought down heavily enough to startle the dragon awake.

“Bloody hell, you killed _that_?!” There was genuine _surprise_ in her voice, and perhaps even a tinge of _awe_.

“_Oui_, though it certainly did not make it easy.”

That was an understatement. Boar hide was _thick_ and she had attempted several shots only to have her arrows bounce off or get stuck in the skin. She had been forced to chase it down and make the kill with her own two hands and knife, which was both exhausting and frustrating.

“I already gutted it so you can choose which parts you want to have.” Amélie said over her shoulder as she rummaged through her bag for some knives she had forgotten to bring along. “Whatever we do not eat will be stored for the road.”

She heard the dragon mumbling again, as she slowly sat up and shuffled over to the carcass to look it over. She was still moving carefully, but there was no sign of bleeding seeping through the new bandages, which was a relief.

Amélie paused for a moment as the dragon moved, taking the opportunity to briefly observe her.

She hadn’t noticed how much _emotion_ the dragon conveyed using her pointed ears. They had been almost constantly down, but now they were perked slightly as she investigated the body. If her ears were down, that had to mean she was sad, angry, or frightened. Ears up had to mean something more _positive_ then. Perhaps inquisitiveness, excitement, relief?

She pulled the forgotten pair of knives out of her bag and slowly padded around the fire, making sure she didn’t accidentally sneak up on the dragon or startle her.

“Have you found any parts you would like? I have some salt you can add to it as well.” Amélie said as she sat down next to the dragon while also keeping a respectful foot or two between them. The dragon replied with a silent nod and lightly tapped the tips of her nails on her good hand against one of the boar’s flanks.

“Do you want it cut up again?”

Another nod. When Amélie swiftly prepared the chosen meal for her the dragon accepted it, this time with a clearer mumble of thanks. She still moved away to eat, but she didn’t constantly glance up as though she expected Amélie to attack her.

That was definitely _progress_.

Amélie ate, before she finished storing the remaining food away in the enchanted bag she had gotten from town. The dragon had come back for seconds, so the remaining meat fit in the bag.

That done, she sat down and pulled her knees to her chest, watching the fire dance. She hadn’t _enjoyed_ a campfire in a long time. She usually just set one up for warmth and went straight to bed. She didn’t take time to enjoy the smell of wood smoke or watch the embers rise into the night sky.

She could feel the dragon watching her. _Evaluating_. Perhaps she was _observing_.

"I think I'll go lie down, I did not sleep last night." She said, loudly enough for the dragon to hear, before she got up, stretching her arms over her head. She doubted she would be sleeping tonight either, but perhaps just _pretending_ to sleep would help her gain just a little bit more of the dragon's trust.

Amélie spread out the second bedroll and settled down, her back to the door. It was _peaceful_. The fire had died away considerably but Amélie could still hear it faintly crackling outside. The old shed occasionally creaked and groaned as it settled, and the grass softly rustled outside.

Amélie had been lying there a while, and had started to actually drift off, when she was snapped back into wakefulness by the sound of the dragon finally slipping into the shed. Any faint light from the fire was replaced by darkness as the dragon replaced the blanket over the door, and she padded unsteadily to the unoccupied bedroll. Amélie heard her stretching as much as she was able, heard her nails biting into the old floor, the. A soft rustle as the dragon settled down.

She was watching Amélie again. The huntress could feel those big brown eyes on her. The dragon was silent, watching. She probably didn't believe that the huntress was _capable_ of sleeping with a dragon so close by.

"Are you sleeping...?" The question was soft, as though the dragon did not intend to be heard.

Amélie heard more rustling and she realized that the dragon was _approaching_ her, slowly, cautiously. She could hear the sound of its tail softly rasping against the wood floor, and her slow footsteps that tested each floorboard for any sign of squeaking.

Amélie willed herself to remain still as the dragon leaned over her, willed herself to pretend to sleep. She could hear the soft rumbling in her chest and feel the heat radiating from her body. She dared not open her eyes, for fear of giving herself away and being either attacked or losing whatever trust the dragon may have.

She could feel her tail coiling around her leg, the muscular limb squeezing as though the dragon was _testing_ her, making sure she was asleep. She forced herself to remain unresponsive, resolving to lay there unless the dragon actually _hurt_ her.

The dragon paused once she was directly over her, one hand on either side of her shoulders. She wasn’t growling, just rumbling, so that was a good sign.

“You’re a _weird_ human, you know that?”

Amélie had to fight to keep her breathing normal when the dragon spoke softly, and _directly_ into her ear. She could feel the warmth of her breathing washing over her jaw as the dragon spoke.

“You coulda killed me, you still could, but you _don’t_.” The dragon was clearly talking more to herself than to Amélie. “You’re trying to _protect_ me. Why’re you helping me when you don’t care about me at all? When you hate me? You hate everything that I am but here you are, sleepin’ on the floor in a shack knowin’ full well I could kill you in your sleep. You don’t trust me. You can’t _possibly_ trust me.”

Amélie masked her sharp inhale by slowly stretching, before rolling onto her side and curling up slightly, letting out a small shiver to really sell the action.

The dragon let out a soft hiss and growl when she moved, but she didn’t jump back like Amélie expected her to. She still felt her warmth, her tail still coiled snugly around her leg, her breath washing over her face, and the soft tickle of her hair against her skin.

“Why do you _trust_ me...?”

Amélie felt her backing away, her tail’s grip on her loosening and slowly sliding away, only to drape itself over her side as the dragon settled back down in her spot. She was a little closer this time, and Amélie could feel her wings brushing against her back.

They hadn’t made a lot of headway but it was a start. Amélie had hoped to move her by now but it seemed that patience was going to be the only method that would gain the dragon’s trust. She was normally so good at waiting, but this was _different_. The dragon was still too close to the farm for comfort and eventually another hunter would come.

Amélie had to move her within the next few days. There was no alternative.

God, she didn’t even know her _name_ yet.

She resolved to ask the moment the dragon woke up. Hopefully asking would help her to start to trust the huntress, or at least help her to hate her less.

Amélie willed herself to abandon those thoughts for the night, slowly easing herself into actual sleep.

She had so much to make up for.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Before I beg for comments like I usually do, I must speak on behalf of several authors. TAG POLICE STOP DEMANDING THAT WE CHANGE OUR TAGS. we wrote this stuff. Not you. So we get to choose the tags, and for your information, both times you demanded I add "Alternate Universe" to my tags I in fact had AU in the tags already, if you even looked. 
> 
> When you write something then the tags are yours to add, but don't ask us to tailor our tags to your specifications please, it is causing some of us unnecissary stress. 
> 
> Now, as always, I love hearing your thoughts on the chapter and what I could improve/did well/completely sucked at. I know it kind of contrasts with the rant I just did but I do often take my readers ideas into account. 
> 
> (Just don't ask me to change my tags, especially when you ask for Alternate Universe as a tag when AU is IN THE FIRST TAG. AU still counts man come on >.<)


	4. On The Road Again

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Amélie and Lena set off on the trip home, and Lena tries to start repaying the huntress for her kindness. 
> 
> Or, Amélie rides Lena and falls asleep midway through. 
> 
> Girlfriend of the year everybody.

  
The first thing Lena registered upon waking the next morning was the fact that she was alive. Alive and relatively well. Besides being sore and incredibly _itchy_, she felt pretty alright.

The second thing she noticed was that the huntress wasn’t in the shed, and her bedroll had been opened fully and carefully draped over Lena, somehow without waking her. Lena was warm and almost comfortable enough to go back to sleep.

_Almost_.

The third thing she noticed was the smell of food cooking. She groaned and slowly sat up, bleary eyed and yawning as she dragged herself out of the shed and looked around blinking. The huntress’ horse was eyeing her cautiously from across the clearing, chewing on a mouthful of grass. The fire was going, and the huntress was sitting with her back to the shed, cooking something that, despite Lena’s preference for raw food, smelled pretty damn good.

Her wounds were still tender enough to force her to move slowly, easing herself the rest of the way out of the shed and slowly pushing herself to her feet.

It _may_ have been a bad idea.

She hadn’t had to balance herself on her own feet in three days and it immediately became clear that the feat was too much for her.

The huntress had turned to greet her as she slowly stood, her gentle expression becoming one of startled _concern_ when Lena pitched to one side into the long grass with a muffled curse.

“Are you alright, _Cherie_?” Her tone was worried as she got up and padded over, kneeling to offer Lena a hand. Lena let out a groan in response, the world was _spinning_ and she was suddenly feeling very grumpy. Very grumpy and _tired_.

“Come on, let’s get you back inside...”

Lena swatted at the offered hand with a growl and slowly curled into herself. She didn’t want to let the huntress help her again. She didn’t need her help. She just needed to rest a moment....

“Come here.”

Lena let out a startled _squawk_ as the huntress slipped an arm under her shoulders, making her protests known as she was sat up.

“_Oi sod off!_ I don’t need your help!”

The huntress sighed, rolling her eyes at Lena’s defiance before she effortlessly stood with Lena, still struggling, in her arms.

“Why must you be so stubborn?” She muttered as she made her way back to the fire and sat down, releasing Lena’s legs to poke at the food.

“This is almost ready, so you may as well wait with me.”

_Why is she holding me like a bloody toddler._

Lena grumbled, pointedly looking away and crossing her arms over her chest. She would never admit how _comfortable_ this was, she would never live it down. Imagine curling up in your killer’s lap like a bloody _cat_!

She used to _enjoy_ contact with others, even sought it out, but now she couldn’t afford to trust anyone enough to get close. She had had to come to terms with what she was a long time ago. She was a _beast_ to be slaughtered, and fighting back and running were the only two ways to survive. She hadn’t killed anyone, at least not yet, not that that had made any difference to anyone who came after her. She had claws and fangs and horns, and that was all anyone needed to see to decide that she was _dangerous_. She had grown up as a sweet girl who preferred to pick flowers or make her adoptive parents laugh by juggling small fireballs in their back yard. She was harmless, at least she thought she was until a _hateful_ man came to her father’s shop looking for a cure for his dying husband’s ailments. He only saw her for a brief moment as she dashed across the open doorway to grab what he had asked for, like she always did, but that one moment had changed everything, and only days later her world fell apart.

~

_Everything was burning. Her body felt heavy, and she couldn’t move. She couldn’t see anything. Half the house had collapsed on her and she could only listen to the roar of the fire, the screams from her parents as the man who begged them for help days before now struck out at them in a blind rage. There was nothing she could do._

_Despite everything, her eyes drifted shut and she pitched into an unconsciousness that lasted until someone finally thought to search the ruined house for valuables. She stumbled off before they could return with the guard, and she never trusted a human ever again. Humans were cold and cruel and above all they were greedy. They didn’t understand that nonhumans could be kind and that they could love._

~

She could hear the huntress humming, and she very quickly realized that she had dozed off. The huntress had adjusted her arm to support Lena’s head as it had tipped back, and her other hand was absentmindedly resting on her knee as she watched the fire. She looked _tired_.

Lena let her eyes fall shut again, trying to turn her face into the Huntress’ shoulder without gaining her attention. She was content to allow this to continue, at least for a little while, and enjoy the contact while she could. It had been _four_ days after all, and the huntress had so far been honest and almost kind to her.

“You look like a cat, _Chérie_. Comfortable?”

Lena forced one eye open and blinked up at the other woman, who was looking down at her with a small smile.

_Oh no she’s so pretty..._

Lena tried to summon up a growl, to bare her teeth, anything to save whatever remained of her dignity, but her voice failed her. The huntress chuckled and Lena felt her hand leave her knee, then she was gently _tickling_ the underside of Lena’s chin much like one would their pet cat. Lena tensed and quickly began to squirm to get away from the uncomfortable sensation.

“No tickling then? Perhaps you would prefer _this_?”

The tickle became a firm _scratch_ and Lena _melted_ like a stick of butter, her halfhearted growl turning into a helpless _purr_ of delight.

“Oh? Have I found your weakness? The huntress’ teasing fell on deaf ears as Lena _sagged_ against her, head tipping back to grant access to more places for scratching. “The _mighty_ dragon, defeated by chin scratches?”

Lena’s tail _curled_ when those deft fingers travelled up and set to scratching under her jaw, just below her ear, and her eyes almost rolled back. This was unfair. There was _no way_ this was fair. Why did it have to feel so damn _good_!?

When the huntress released her to prepare the food Lena melted onto the ground in a boneless heap, halfway back to sleep and completely against sitting up again.

“When you return to the land of the living there’s a bowl of oatmeal here for you.”

Lena groaned and squeezed her eyes shut. Damn that felt good but also damn because she had never felt so _humiliated_. The huntress would undoubtedly tease her about this for a long time.

That oatmeal did smell good though. She preferred meat but she still found some other foods worth her time.

She eventually managed to drag herself off the huntress’ lap and sit up, wincing as her wounds stung. They weren’t big but they were deep and damn did they hurt. She had learned a very painful lesson when she pulled out the first arrow, and now the muscle below her wing was damaged. Her left wing remained mostly limp despite her efforts to keep it up and folded.

The huntress had somehow pulled the others out without causing additional damage. It had hurt like hell, but the only wound that was really hurting her was the one she had ripped the arrow out of. That and the three inch long slash on her chest. It ached and _protested_ every time she moved.

“After you’ve eaten we will leave.” The huntress said as Lena picked up her bowl and settled down to eat. “It may be better for you to return to your larger form before we leave. Your wounds might heal faster if you aren’t in human form.”

It made sense. Lena didn’t really have any idea if it would work or not, she never got too badly hurt until now. The only exception was back when her house more or less fell on her. She had no idea how long she had been unconscious and by the time she was freed all that she suffered from was a few stiff joints.

~

_The smell of smoke and the ash in her eyes, throat hoarse from screaming for her father and mother. The crushing weight bearing down on her as she struggled for breath._

_Her head was pounding and she wished she could breathe. She wasn’t claustrophobic but being so utterly trapped was paralyzingly terrifying._

~

“Are you alright?”

Lena jumped when the huntress put a hand on her shoulder, a look of concern on her face. She had dropped her bowl, thankfully having already finished it, and was digging her nails into her arms as she hugged herself. Her eyes stung with tears and she was rocking back and forth.

“I.... I’m fine.” She choked out, pulling her tail around herself and forcing herself to relax her hands and cringing at the _blood_ on the tips of her claws.

“You don’t _look_ fine. You look like you just saw a ghost.”

“I _said_ I’m fine.” Lena _spat_ as she scooted away from the huntress and tried again to stand up.

“.... I’m gonna change now.”

She didn’t want to talk about it, and she certainly didn’t want it to be a hunter that she confided in.

“At least tell me your name before you do. I never asked, it was rather rude of me.”

Lena paused.

_Well.... she did ask nicely...._

  
“It’s Lena.”

She paced over to the shed and circled around it to give herself some privacy, only just catching the huntress repeating her name to herself softly.

_Time to get this over with._

~

It was a very _painful_ transformation, and she had to lower herself to the ground before she _collapsed_.

Her skin hardened into scales, and her mass inscreased, bringing with it the sensation of tearing flesh as her muscles reknitted themselves into her larger form. Her nails itched as they lengthened and hardened into talons, and her face contorted and reformed, pushing out into her snout. She was _shaking_ from the pain when it finished, her exertions taking a lot of strength out of her.

The sounds also drew the huntress, who seemed even more concerned now.

“Oh, Lena...” she sounded so _genuinely_ worried and sympathetic as she knelt, only hesitating for a moment before laying a hand on the dragon’s brow, stroking her hand over the scales there.

“It’ll be ok _Chérie_, just take it slow and you’ll be alright.”

Lena groaned and let her head flop to one side, her eyes drifting shut. She felt the huntress shift to sit, her hand remaining on her head. It was comforting, though Lena _hated_ to admit it.

The huntress had been right, as it turned out. Lena felt much better when she woke up, and her arrow wounds were nearly gone. The huntress had gone to her horse and was securing the saddlebags, before she gave it a firm _swat_ on the rump to send it trotting off into the woods.

When she saw Lena’s confused expression she just smiled reassuringly, before grabbing her jacket off of the ground and dusting it off.

“Cauchemar knows the way back, and it’ll be safer for him to find his own way back.”

Lena blinked, then she slowly pushed herself up and padded over to the fire, easily shovelling a claw full of sand onto it and snuffing it out.

“Shall we go then? A long walk should work the soreness out of our muscles.” The huntress called over her shoulder as she tucked the jacket into the bag she had kept with her, slinging it over her other shoulder and taking a few steps towards the path before pausing.

“Oh, and my name is Amélie, since you told me yours.”

~

The huntress was correct once again. As they walked Lena felt the stiffness begin to bleed out of her shoulders and back, making moving a lot easier. The only wound that had not closed by now was the deep stab in her breast, which had scabbed over but that was about all. It still hurt but it was easy enough to ignore.

The huntress, Amélie, was definitely _very_ fit. They had been walking for a few hours now and she didn’t look the slightest bit out of breath. She was very strong and Lena knew from experience that she was smart and very fast for a human.

And yet she clearly wasn’t _completely_ human. Somehow she had enhanced her own abilities through some sort of magic. Her eyes couldn’t have been naturally that gold. Her movements were those of someone who was concealing _inhuman_ amounts of power very carefully.

She was powerful, but she was also _very_ tired. Lena had started counting each time the huntress yawned, and it was approaching _fifty_ now.

Perhaps she could do something to return the favour for everything Amélie had done.

“_Um, do you want me to carry you or something?”_

Amélie slowed and Lena easily caught up to her, trying her best to look nonchalant when golden eyes came to rest on her inquiringly.

“_It’s just... you’ve been yawning nonstop since we set out. Maybe you could hop on my back or something. If you want.”_

She wasn’t sure if she hoped for a rejection or for the huntress to accept the offer. She didn’t mind, really. If the huntress accepted then she was that much closer to not owing her.

“Aren’t you too ticklish to have me ride you?” Came the soft reply, and Lena shot a glare at the smiling woman.

“_Just put your jacket over my back, or something.”_ She grumbled to herself, looking at the ground as she carefully stepped over a raised tree root.

“Are you sure you can carry me? Your wounds...”

“_Are mostly gone now. And you can’t do anything to the one on my chest by sitting on my back.”_ Lena finished for her, slowing to a stop at the next bend in the path to wait for the human to catch up.

“Very well. Once we reach clearer ground then.” The huntress conceded, though she still looked hesitant.

~

Lena had never had someone on her back before, but she took to it quickly enough. The huntress had faintly protested through the entire process of draping the jacket between her shoulder blades and then clambering up, but once she was comfortable she had no problem folding her arms under her head and dropping right off to sleep.

Lena couldn’t move as quickly as she wanted to, but she didn’t mind the slower pace if it allowed Amélie a chance to sleep. She had been kind enough to show Lena her map, and their route home, before asking her to wake her up once they got to what she called, “The fang-spires.” It was a few hours walk, more at the speed Lena was going but that just meant that the tired huntress would be able to sleep longer. The sunlight was warm on her back and each time she emerged into an open area she felt Amélie _groan_ approvingly at the increase of warmth.

Her mental connection to Amélie was also amplified by their close proximity, especially when she let her cheek rest against her bare scales. She could feel the tiny changes in her mood and awareness, whenever she started to wake up or when she started to _dream_.

It felt nice. The only other person she had been so strongly connected to was her father. She hadn’t realized how much she _missed_ being able to connect to another sentient being.

This was nice, she concluded, as Amélie softly snored.

_It was quite nice._

~

“_We’re here, Amélie.”_

The huntress slowly sat up and stretched as Lena came to a stop, looking up at the massive spires of rock that rose out of the ground to tower over them menacingly.

No wonder it was called the Fang-Spire.

“_Are we stopping here?” _Lena inquired, lowering herself to make getting off her back easier. The huntress stretched again once she was back on her feet, rolling her shoulders a few times before answering.

“Just for a bit. I brought enough of the rations to feed us once but I underestimated how hungry you would be after carrying me.” She continued when Lena blinked at her, clearly confused. “You aren't the first dragon to use your own mind against me, I could sense the moment you reached out to me. Your connection to me goes _both_ ways, Lena. I could feel you getting hungry, at least while we were physically touching.”

Lena felt her face getting _hot_ and she ducked her head, embarrassed. She hadn’t realized that she had been so obviously connected to her. She was used to being alone, and she had never had to hide her ability to connect to other beings. Perhaps now was a good time to start.

“_Do you want me to help you hunt or....?”_

“Hmm, perhaps. We could bring down something larger if you helped. We would also be here _longer_, however.”

Lena stretched, digging her claws into the grass with a satisfied _groan_ as several stiff joints popped. Hunting sounded _marvellous_, especially with help. She hadn’t hunted with someone else for _years_.

“There is an open area a few miles away, we may find some game there.”

The huntress smirked as she gestured towards the forest path.

“Shall we, _Lena_?”

Ok, maybe she didn’t _hate_ this woman after all. Lena _may_ have puffed herself up a bit, stretching out her wings and yawning widely in a way that was in no way, shape, or form showing off. _Not at all_.

“..._Could do_.” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Time for at least three chapters of our wierd girls getting to know each other and bonding! Bring on the cuddles and snuggles!
> 
> Comments make my day, I love hearing from y'all! I like to get feedback and thoughts!


	5. Bonding Over Mutually Stupid Ideas

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The journey home continues.

  
Hunting with a dragon was, surprisingly, a lot more interesting than Amélie anticipated. It was almost _fun_. Lena was unable to fly in such small spaces but she was fast and agile and even better yet, she could follow directions.

“The big one?”

“Oui.”

“The one with the huge _fuckin_’ horns? Sod off, he’ll _skewer_ us both.”

Amélie rolled her eyes at the dragon’s protests, watching as her hunting partner quietly settled to watch the herd on the other side of the clearing.

It was a _bit_ ambitious. Saber-toothed Buazelle were something she didn’t like to tangle with even on a good day. Even if she felt confident it wasn’t a good idea. They stood eight feet tall at the shoulder and that was the females. The males, like the one she was targeting, were _mountains_ of muscle, horn, and _very_ bad tempers.

“Why do you want the big guy? Kill one of the littler ones! I can carry it away if it’s small!”

“_Non_. I need the fur and horns.”

She saw Lena glaring at her through the bushes in disbelief.

“For _what_!?”

“Personal project.”

“Oh _SOD OFF_!”

Amélie sighed. “I’ll shoot him and draw his attention. While he’s distracted, jump on his back and try to bring him to the ground.”

Lena grumbled and sank into a crouch to wait.

“This is a bad idea....”

Amélie knew where to shoot a Buazelle, she had hunted a few before, but none this big. Even with Lena’s help there could be injuries.

“Just get ready.”

The seam between the muscles that joined its neck to its shoulder. A perfect shot there would guarantee a kill, even if it took a while. Once an artery was severed it was simply a matter of waiting until it bled out. She knelt and took careful aim, trying to block out the anxiety she felt from Lena as she watched. Why she didn’t simply grow to her full size was beyond her.

Take aim.

Breathe in.

Breathe out.

Fire.

She took her shot. The arrow sang through the air and struck its mark, embedding itself in the huge Buazelle’s meaty neck exactly where it needed to. The beast let out a deep bellow and wheeled around, scanning for it’s attacker and snorting angrily. Amélie had already reset her crossbow and was taking aim again when it’s gaze fell on her, and the great animal let out a low, rumbling roar. The next shot did very little to stop its charge, and Amélie quickly dove to one side to escape being _crushed_. It was better to take the blunt of an antler to the chest instead of the full momentum of the beast anyway.

That didn’t mean it wouldn’t _hurt_. Amélie felt the moment her breath was forced out of her and her back hit the ground with a thump.

“_Amélie_!?” Lena’s desperate cries got her attention just in time to warn her, and she rolled to the side moments before a giant hoof _slammed_ into the ground where she had been laying. The movement sent shockwaves of pain up her spine, some ribs had to be fractured at the very least. Still, she prepared to roll again as the Buazelle reared up over her, intent on eliminating the threat.

Luckily for Amélie, she didn’t have to roll again. The buazelle’s head suddenly _snapped_ to one side as Lena slammed into it from behind, digging her claws into the monster’s flesh and sinking her teeth into its neck just behind its skull. She was able to use her body weight to _yank_ the best off balance before it could crush the huntress, and the beast quickly switched its attention from the human to the dragon on its back.

“Amélie _move_!!”

The huntress didn’t need to be told twice. Her part was done, and she had already been hurt. She dragged herself off of the ground and moved as quickly as she could to get out of Lena’s way. She needed to focus on bringing the male down, not keeping it away from Amélie.

She groaned as she lowered herself to lean against a nearby tree, massaging her aching wrist and watching the fight unfolding in front of her.

The Buazelle was starting to falter by now, the first arrow having done its job, and Lena’s persistent attempts to snap its neck were adding to its disorientation. It wasn’t even _trying_ to buck Lena off, which they always did when they were being attacked. Lena was balancing as best she could on the beast’s back, jerking its head as best she could while it struggled to remain standing.

Amélie let her head rest against the tree and closed her eyes for a moment, focussing on her breathing. She had been through worse, this was _nothing_ compared to other injuries she had sustained. She could already feel her bones slowly healing. Thank the gods for her enhancements.

“_Amélie_!?”

  
The huntress groaned and blinked up at the very worried looking dragon that was standing over her.

“You ok?” Lena asked, more quietly now that she knew the human wasn’t _dead_. Amélie slowly sat up, grimacing.

“.... cracked ribs, nothing serious.” She said through clenched teeth. “_maybe_ a broken wrist.”

The Buazelle was lying on the ground behind Lena, who seemed more concerned about Amélie than the kill.

“You brought it down? Well done.” Amélie murmured as she slowly pushed herself to her feet, making her way over to the beast and pulling the arrow out of its neck. It was massive, and she would have a hell of a time field dressing it.

“Do you mind carrying some of this back to the spire once it’s ready?”

Lena was sitting and cleaning the blood from her front paws and snout, and she didn’t even hesitate before agreeing. “Yeah, doubt you’d be able to.” She preened, _puffing_ out her chest a bit as Amélie pulled out her knife and got to work.   
~  
“I feel like a pack mule.”

Amélie chuckled as she fished some straps of leather out of her bags and carefully fastened them around Lena’s neck and chest, testing them to see if they’d hold. Lena had fallen asleep shortly after she had transported the last of the useful materials from their hunt back to the spire, flopping over in the shade while Amélie worked to dry out as much of the meat as she could. She hadn’t considered the amount she’d have to work with and it took her the better part of the afternoon to get everything finished. Her prize from the hunt were the horns and fangs of the huge Buazelle, safely stored in her travel bag. The hide was also useful, could be made into all manner of items. She had already produced a few makeshift bags once she had cleaned a portion of it and still had plenty to take home.

She had let the rest of the meat slowly roast over the fire through the night, and stored it in the new bags before waking Lena and, after some convincing, had gotten her to carry the bulk of the materials they had acquired. Amélie already had some extra equipment from her saddle that Lena reluctantly allowed the huntress to use, creating a makeshift harness that she could strap the bags to. Lena grumbled a bit once she realized she’d have to walk with her wings raised to accommodate the load, but otherwise only seemed upset that she couldn’t carry Amélie.

“I’m fine, Lena. All that’s left from yesterday is a bit of bruising and soreness.”

Lena made an unconvinced _harrumph_ noise in response.

“It’s only an hour or so to the next town. We can sell what we won’t be needing there. I also need to check if there was a bounty on that bull, and get some tools I didn’t think to bring.”

“Wait. I can’t go into a town!” Lena _protested_ immediately, ears flattening against her head. Amélie knew the townsfolk, and she was reasonably sure that they’d tolerate Lena as long as she didn’t do anything violent.

“They know me, little one. They won’t hurt you, I promise. As long as you don’t give them a reason to.”

Lena didn’t look convinced.

“What I am’s _plenty_ of reason.” She mumbled, looking at the ground as she began to quietly pull at a piece of moss that was stuck under her scales. She clearly had a bad history with humans, something Amélie could understand.

When she packed the rest of her things up and tucked her map under her arm, she put a hand on Lena’s neck, gently rubbing her thumb over leathery skin. Lena flinched, then leaned into it slightly, still looking at her feet.

“They won’t hurt you, Lena. As long as you do as I say while we are in town they’ll assume you’re just a dumb pack animal. I wouldn’t ask to do this if we had a choice.”

Lena grumbled again, but she seemed to relax just a bit.

“..._okay_....”

Amélie kept her hand on Lena’s neck as they walked, so she felt a little less anxious. She was, at least, willing to talk more than she usually was, to the huntress’ relief.

“So, why d’you hunt dragons? Can’t imagine you get much business anymore.” Lena inquired around fifteen minutes into their journey. She kept her eyes ahead, but Amélie could feel her curiosity through their connection as she spoke.

“It was revenge, at first.” Lena slowed a bit, and Amélie felt her curiosity shift more towards concern. “My family was killed by a dragon when I was ten. I swore to kill the one that murdered my parents, and when I found him eight years later I did exactly that.”

“And after? Why’d you keep doing it?”

Amélie sighed, “I.... I’m not sure. I had so much anger and _hatred_ in me that I just kept killing. Hate is a _poisonous_ thing to dwell on as a child, and it was what drove me for a long time. When I finally got past my hatred I simply did it for money. Not much of a reason, especially for me. I didn’t need money, but I am only human. Greed is a powerful motivator.”

Lena listened to her talk, her emotions shifting from confusion to understanding, then to a gentle sympathy.

“I didn’t know you lost your family.... I’m sorry...”

Lena sounded genuine, and Amélie took the opportunity to ask some questions of her own.

“So, what are you doing on your own? You can’t be even in your thirties yet, and dragons care for their offspring for a lot longer than that.”

Lena shrugged, then replied, “My folks were _human_. They found me when I was an egg and raised me.”

Amélie knew simply from Lena’s tone that this was also an unhappy story. She began rubbing her thumb against her neck again, waiting for Lena to continue.

“They ran an alchemy shop, sellin’ herbs and potions and that kind of stuff. My folks taught me how to change shape and I preferred to use my human form as I had to help around the store a lot. Hands’re a lot more useful than claws.”

She chuckled, but there was no humour to it.

“They were murdered. When I was thirteen. Shop burned down and I’ve been on my own ever since.”

Amélie didn’t speak for a little while after that. There was nothing she felt she could say. Lena seemed _grateful_ for the silence, focussing more on the path ahead than their connection.

When Amélie spoke, it was simply to reassure her one last time, as they neared the small town and Lena hesitated.

“I think you’ll find that this town is more accepting of the unusual than most.”  
~  
Lena was visibly nervous the moment they entered town. Ears down, eyes fixed on the ground and tail all but tucked between her legs as Amélie guided her towards the marketplace. The huntress could feel the dragon _trembling_ under her hand. She had to be frightened. She had had very few positive interactions with humans.

“Lena, look around. Do these all look like humans to you?”

When Lena looked up her surprise was clearly felt. As Amélie had said, many of these people weren’t entirely human, some weren’t at all.

An old battle scarred orc was selling weapons and armor with his teenage daughter working the forge behind him. A tall, thin forest elf was mixing potions in his stall. A weathered looking Dryad was selling exotic flowers. No one even looked at Lena twice.

“Whoah....”

Amélie chuckled, “I’d have told you, but I wanted you to see for yourself. Not all towns are full of bad people.”

Lena nodded, still taking everything in as Amélie led her to one of the vendors.

Selling their excess materials was easy and Lena seemed relieved to have the saddlebags off of her. Her fear had eased into a simple underlying anxiety and she seemed a little less shy.

“I think you’ll fit into the town hall. I need to go check about any urgent bounties. After that I just need to pick up a few things.”

Lena nodded and followed her quietly, still looking around. She seemed to still be rather _overwhelmed_, trying to take in everything with a look of shock and awe on her face. Amélie didn’t tell her that her tongue was poking out just a little bit, because it was _cute_.

“In here.” The huntress motioned for the dragon to follow her into the town hall, holding the door open for her to squeeze in and follow her into the building. She may not have attracted attention outside but town hall was a different story.

“E-Excuse me Ma’am, is that a _dragon_!?”

Lena visibly _stiffened_ and tried to make herself look less threatening. Amélie put a comforting hand on her neck before she replied. “Yes, she is my companion and partner. I trust you will not cause her any trouble?” She fixed the complainant with an icy stare, and he shrunk back a bit.

“N-No, of course not Huntress. It’s just, we don’t want her damaging the floor or knocking something over!”

“And she will not. Even if she did it would be incredibly _inconsiderate_ of you to separate a youngling from its companion, no?”

The man, apparently one of the few humans in the town, sputtered, then went silent. Amélie smirked and gently pulled Lena along, ignoring the dragon when she blew a very loud raspberry at the human as she passed.   
~  
“What do you mean you _already_ killed the Buazelle!?”

Amélie sipped her tea and gave the town’s leader a bored look.

“My companion and I took it down yesterday, about an hour from here. She has the hide and horns in the saddlebags if you don’t believe me.”

Lena was laying on the floor while Amélie talked, watching the exchange lazily. Amélie knew she was nervous, and had been ever since the human from earlier had made a fuss. The tip of her tail was curled around Amélie’s ankle. Amélie wanted nothing more than to collect her bounty and leave.

“Well, I suppose you are owed a reward then, Huntress. The bounty was ten silver pieces.” The town head admitted, and Amélie accepted the small bag silently.

“If you have anything else to occupy my time do let me know. I will be staying at the inn for a few days to rest. Just ask for me there.”

When Amélie stood Lena all but leapt to her feet, clearly anxious to get going. She didn’t seem to like being indoors very much, or perhaps she didn’t like being unable to see an exit.

“Lena, come.” Amélie murmured and she put a hand on the dragon’s neck as they walked, feeling her relax once they were back outside. When they stepped out, more people took notice of Lena than before, and Lena shrank into herself visibly.

“The inn, let’s go. You can sleep and I’ll do my errands on my own.” Amélie murmured as she guided the uneasy dragon through the crowd. Lena made a soft whimpering sound and kept as close to the huntress as she could, her eyes fixed on the ground to avoid meeting anyone’s eye.

“The biggest room you have, please, for two nights.” Amélie dropped the gold into the hands of the pretty young faun manning the front desk, before she took her room key and headed towards the stairs. Lena followed after, her tail dragging along the carpet sullenly.

The room was on the top floor and had a large balcony overlooking the town square. A king sized bed took up a good portion of the main room and Amélie felt a great deal of relief when she found a wood stove she could use. No more camping food for a while. Lena _leaped_ at the bed the moment she was inside the room, shifting back to her human form by the time she flopped face down onto it with a groan. She looked _exhausted_.

“_Mmmbgggf real bed..._” she groaned into the thick blanket, before Amélie set her pack down and retrieved the bags Lena had dropped when she shifted back.

“Silly girl, go bathe before you get the bed all dirty.” She teased as Lena slowly sat up, “the water is heated this time, you will enjoy it.”

Lena slowly shuffled into the washroom and Amélie heard water running a few minutes later. The dragon was probably thanking the gods for magical plumbing right now.

Amélie waited until the water stopped before she knocked on the door and called out softly. “I’m going to go into the market for a little while, Lena. I should be back within the hour.”

She took the muffled reply, somewhere between a whine and a growl, as acknowledgement, and she smiled to herself as she grabbed her bag and headed towards the door.   
~  
“Silly girl….” Amélie murmured when she pushed the bathroom door open an hour later, finding Lena asleep in the large washtub. She didn’t know why she was surprised, the water had been warm when she left and was still at a nice temperature, it made sense that a dragon would doze off rather quickly. She was clean, at least, and the bath was still a bit bubbly from her efforts.

The dragon let out a soft groan as Amélie gently hoisted her out of the bath, wrapping her in a fluffy towel and carrying her out into the main room, carefully adjusting her in her arms to stop her wings from snagging on the furniture.

Lena was in a deep sleep when the huntress gently laid her on the bed. She hadn’t had trouble sleeping the last few days, but she had been considerably stressed since Amélie met her, which could be just as tiring.

Amélie set out her supplies and went over them while Lena slept, checking the condition of her gear, her crossbow, and started to count how many bolts she had left before pausing, then setting the quiver aside. She had completely forgotten about the barbed bolts. She needed to get new ones.

She was up for a few more hours, checking her things, running and enjoying her own bath, and spending some time on the balcony, watching the people milling about below. She would have to check for any other bounties in the area before moving on, perhaps Lena could help her with it. After their encounter with the intolerant man, Lena would likely want to leave sooner rather than later.

Amélie sighed and went back inside, padding over to the bed and slipping under the covers on her side as carefully as she could. Lena let out a soft groan and rolled to face her, forcing one eye open halfway as the other woman got comfortable.

“Night, Amélie…” she mumbled, dropping right back off to sleep before the huntress could answer. Amélie chuckled, watching her breaths slow as she drifted off. She really was adorable.   
~  
_**THUD**_

Amélie sat up with a grumble, rubbing her aching shoulder and _glaring_ at the dragon who had shoved her off the bed in her sleep. She was stretched out on the bed like a winged starfish, snoring away.

“Lena we are switching, _move_.”

Lena let out a groggy mumble as Amélie walked around the bed, switching to a moan of protest as the huntress pushed her to the other side of the bed.

“Amé _stoooop_…” she groaned, then she let out a startled _squeak_ as the taller woman slid into bed behind her and wrapped an arm around Lena’s middle, ensuring she would remain in bed for the rest of the night. Lena struggled for a moment to tuck her wings as closely to her sides as she could, before she went still.

“You _pushed_ me off the bed, so you get to be the little spoon.” Amélie mumbled into Lena’s hair as she got comfortable, and the dragon squirmed a bit, before accepting defeat and settling down.

“Sorry Amé….”

“Go to _sleep_, Lena.” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm sorry for the lack of updates recently. My anxiety has been at an all time high, my depression has really bogged me down, and my relationship with my emotionally abusive mother has worsened to the point of complete psychological exhaustion. I just haven't had the will to write. 
> 
> I'll try to do better in the future. 
> 
> Hope you enjoy.

**Author's Note:**

> Every time I resolve to finish something I start something new. I have no control. 
> 
> Thank you Rhitta for brainstorming with me on this idea!
> 
> As always, kudos are swell, but I love comments even more! I love hearing what people think and I like hearing suggestions!


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